Tag Archives: prospecting

In the nineteenth century, gold was mined in a variety of ways. The long-standing tradition of panning for gold was commonly used by gold miners. The gold miners placed dirt with gold-bearing potential into a solid pan. The gold miners added water and swished the pan gently and shook it. This would bring smaller particles of gold to the surface.

Another technique gold miners used was cradling. Miners used a wood box that looked like a baby cradle. The cradle sifted out the larger pieces of dirt and sediment to find gold. This technique required two gold miners to operate the cradle. Gold miners also used a method called fossicking. The gold miners would pick at rock and stone using sharp tools until they found gold. Gold miners also used sieves which were pans with a mesh base. The water would drain through to separate out the gold.

Today, mining techniques incorporate different types of technology but some past methods are still used. When gold miners are evaluating or prospecting an area, they often use the panning technique to see if any gold is present in the area.

Most modern gold miners use a slice box to extract gold from placer deposits. The box is a channel with riffles in the bottom of the box. The box is placed in water or water is piped into the box. This creates a current. The riffles allow gold to drop out of the current and settle to the bottom.

Some gold miners use hard rock mining to extract gold from rock. This technique is the source of most of the world’s gold. This type of mining takes place underground. The mines feature spiral tunnels called declines or shafts which are vertical excavations. Some gold miners use adits which are excavations into the side of a hill. These techniques require heavy machinery to build and extract the gold. There are a number of other modern mining techniques that are adapted to the region and the type of equipment that is available. It goes without saying that modern techniques make use of machinery that was not available over 100 years ago.

Sure, gold mining looks exciting, rewarding, and challenging. But let’s face it, you don’t have the first clue about where to find gold, or how to find a gold mining claim. Well, rest easy. Where there’s a will, there’s a claim…as long as you know where to look!

First thing’s first; you need to know the basics. Any United States citizen can procure a gold mining claim, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), or equivalent Federal land agency, can help you locate lands available for development of a claim.

You also need to figure out which type of claim you are looking for. Lode claims/sites are those built on known or tested mineral deposits still in their original position in the bedrock. You’ve heard the term, “the mother lode”? This is where it comes from. A placer claim/site is categorized as any deposit, other than a lode, where gold in mixed in with sand and/or gravel. A tunnel site is a plot of land where a tunnel has been dug in order to find or develop a vein or lode (NOTE: These are not actually considered “mining claims,” but more a right-a-way to finding a claim). And finally, a mill site is non-mineral land, usually adjacent to a lode or placer site, where a mill can be built (as part of the lode or placer site). If all else fails and you’re not sure if you want to stake a claim in the area, you can file for a prospecting site. This will expire in two years, and cannot be renewed, but it will give you time to consider, explore, and test the area.

Once you find the right claim, you need to record the claim to make sure A) that you have an actual claim, and B) that the claim is yours to mine. Contact the BLM, and also the County Recording Office, within 90 days of locating your site. They will make sure you file the proper forms (and pay the necessary fees). You will also need to make sure you maintain your claim every year (basically that means more fees). (NOTE: A shortcut to this may be to contract with a claim staking service, but you will still need to pay close attention to all the paperwork and fees. Be sure to read the fine print).

Finding a gold mining claim is a lot of work, and even more paperwork, but at the end of the day, you will feel secure knowing this is your land, and the gold that may be under it is yours, too! And if that doesn’t work, you’ll have all the legal papers to back it up!

Maybe the days of the 1849 California Gold rush have always interested you. Maybe you’ve gotten the “gold bug” by watching some of the recent documentary-type shows on TV. Or maybe, you’ve just been seeing the price of gold go through the roof and thought, “Hey, I should probably get in on that!” Any way you look at it, gold and gold mining is booming again! And if you were thinking about getting a job in the gold bonanza of Arizona, now is definitely the time to act.

When gold prices dipped in the 1990s, mines started closing up shop. There just wasn’t enough profit in it anymore. Now, however, with the gold price reaching a new high, and dozens of gold rich veins being reopened in states like Arizona, everyone from serious investors, to weekend prospectors, and hardened miners are getting back into the game.

If your aim is to go it alone (be a “weekend prospector,” if you will), there are plenty of options open to you. Your best bet for prospecting will be to join an Arizona-based gold panning club. Most of these clubs will own claims and leases, they will offer guidance, resources, and even groups to pan with. It is exactly this type of experience (and possible success) that will let you know for sure that gold mining and prospecting is right for you.

On the other hand, if you want to seriously pursue gold mining as a career (and if you don’t have millions of dollars laying around to open up your own claim), then you will need to look for positions in a mining company. If you log onto http://www.getminingjobs.com/Arizona.html, you will be able to search for jobs in any number of mines and claims in Arizona. You may not be able to step right into a prime spot running the sluice box, or operating the excavator…so consider the idea of “working your way up.” On any day, you can find listings for anything from sales, to project managers, to mining engineers, and mechanics. Your choices are so broad right now thanks to the boom, that chances are, you will be able to find a job that will be a great fit for you.

Remember, if it’s something you think you can love, and something you think you can make a living at, it’s worth going after it. Regardless of whether you plan to mine a little, or mine a lot, if you put your heart into it, you’ll never go wrong.

Gold was the first medal known to man, and it’s easy to see why these shiny nuggets impressed our early ancestors. Its brilliance, pliability, and scarcity continue to make it a powerful commodity throughout the world.

The history of gold mining dates back at least 7000 years, and some of the oldest gold artifacts can be found in the Vama Necropolis in Bulgaria. Gold was the primary source of currency in the Roman era, and it is thought that the Romans were the first to extract gold using hydraulic mining methods.

In our modern era, we’ve come a long way from the gold pans associated with the forty-niners who spent years crouching over streams during the California Gold Rush. Gold mining techniques today include commercial hard rock extraction and various methods of placer mining—which is the mining of gold or gemstones that have moved downstream from their source and are found in deposits of sand and gravel. Placer mining was the coveted method used by miners in gold rush eras, but more sophisticated techniques are used today.

Gold prospecting is the act—or the art—of searching for new gold deposits. Although prospecting is typically a commercial activity, small-scale recreational prospecting for placer gold can be found in operations in countries like South Africa, Canada and the United States. In developing nations like Ecuador, prospecting for placer gold is common with locals who are financially disadvantaged and have access to nearby rivers.

A gold prospector’s first question is “Where can I find gold?” and the iconic age old answer is “Gold is where it is,” which certainly doesn’t narrow down the prospects. With the gold price reaching record levels and anxious prospectors in hot pursuit, the best course of action is to research. And then research some more. The Internet is an obvious source, but don’t overlook libraries where you can discover where mining operations register leases.

Placer gold doesn’t move too far from its source (like quartz lodes or other hard rock sources), so most prospectors are looking for an established source. Geological events—like annual floods—release placer deposits and encourage erosion, so you might want to find a stream close to a hard rock source after spring flooding occurs.

Other good sources to find gold are gravel terraces in modern streams, ancient rivers, or sand beds at the mouth of streams or lakes. For amateurs, sand beds are cited as one of the best sources. And don’t overlook areas that you assume have already been “picked over.” Many prospectors moved on before completely exhausting an area. There still may be gold left to find. Such a discovery was made near Kingman, Arizona in 2010 when several mining claims were staked in area known for old its old mining ventures.

If you are interested in gold mining there are several things that you will have to do. You will need to make sure that you learn how to mine for gold and you will need to make sure that you have all the necessary equipment for the job. You will also need to make sure that you have an area where you can mine at.

Where to Gold Mine

If you own your own land in Arizona you will be able to go prospecting there and you may have a chance at finding some of your own gold. However if you do not find some or you do not have an area that is suitable for gold you may want to consider looking elsewhere for where to find gold. One of the most popular ways to find gold and to go gold mining is to purchase gold mining claims. Gold mining claims allow you to purchase claims where you can go onto land to search for gold. Purchasing gold mining claims will allow you to go into some of the great parts of Arizona that will have a great amount of claim land and the bigger chance to find gold.

Gold Claims in Arizona

There are several popular spots in Arizona for gold mining. The Eldorado Gold Mine which is on the border has claims for sale where you can find your own gold. The Yuma Arizona Gold Mine is an area that has many claims available and there are many stories that state that Indians once had a secret mine that was filled full of gold that no one has ever been able to find. No matter where you see the gold mining claims listed make sure that you do some research about the area before you purchase a claim. This will help to ensure that you are looking at the right location and that you will not have any trouble finding some gold.

If you take your time and find the right gold mining claims you should be able to find some gold, making the day profitable and enjoyable. If you want to mine for gold, check out some of the many Arizona gold mining claims available.

Gold mining is still as popular today as it was many years ago. The price of gold lately has skyrocketed. People who are fortunate enough to find gold can make thousands of dollars in just a few short minutes. Mining for gold can also be fun to do with many people enjoying it as their favorite hobby.

Getting Started with Gold Mining

First you will need to make sure that you know what kind of prospecting equipment you will need. Do your research and make sure that you have all the equipment that is necessary for getting the gold. Not making sure that you have all the equipment can lead to you missing out on gold or even losing chunks of gold throughout the mining experience. You will also want to research gold mining and make sure that you become familiar with how to do it. Watching videos and reading books will help you and if you can go to a gold mine and watch someone else mine for gold it will also help you to get more experienced.

Where to Gold Mine?

In most states you can purchase gold mining claims. These claims will allow you to go to certain tracts of land and mine for gold. These tracts can be of compiled of many different acres all of which are suspected of having gold in them. You will need to make sure that you look into the gold mining claims that suit you. Make sure that you choose a location where you would like to search that is close to your home and research prices well. You can search for gold mining claims in Arizona online and you can also talk to local gold miners who might know the location of a few good gold mining locations.

Looking for gold mining claims can be fun but remember to research the area well before you purchase the claim. Taking your time and researching can help to make sure that you have the best chance at finding gold.

If you are considering Arizona prospecting for gold, there are important things that you should know about the area. It is an active area for gold mining for a number of reasons.

There is more than one way you can approach Arizona prospecting. Many people choose to try a prospecting “vacation” or tour before they commit to investing in a claim in the area. There are many companies that offer prospecting tours to the Golden Triangle area or the Vulture Mining District which are some of the most potentially productive areas in Arizona. There are rich mineral deposits in the soil which have not been fully mined over the years.

The Vulture Mountain area is a popular site for Arizona prospecting because it is a mineral-rich area that was very productive in the late nineteenth century all the way up until World War II. The mines were forced to shut down during World War II because all resources needed to be devoted to the war effort. The area was not fully mined and there still remain many precious metals in the dirt.

If you investigate Arizona prospecting and want to mine your own piece of land, you can buy a claim in one of several areas. If you buy a claim, it means you have the rights to all the precious minerals in the land. You will not actually own the land, rocks or soil. It is very different than purchasing a piece of real estate. You will probably prefer to purchase a claim that is offered by a company that has already staked the claim. They will have filed the paperwork and done the surveying necessary to stake the claim. This will dramatically simplify the process for you. You will have to pay for the claim and you will also have to pay state taxes on the land as well as a yearly maintenance fee.